Farm – RDZ Photography

Virtual Travel – Kentucky

Architecture, Art, Festival, History, Museum, Nature, Sciences, Sports, Transportation, Water Features

Today’s visit is to Kentucky, and the vast horse culture that exists there. But there is far more to Kentucky than horses.

The first map in our journey dates from 1942. Interestingly the state highway map was contained in a booklet that gave tourist information based on the roads of the day.

The most famous of these roads was the Dixie Highway. Originally part of the National Auto Trail system in the very early 1900, the Dixie Highway modeled itself after the Lincoln Highway in that private promoters lead the effort to build it.

When the federal government took over the route it was assign along U.S. 25 through most of Kentucky. The route was dotted with motels and restaurants for the travelers headed from the Midwest to Florida. When the interstates came along I-75 replaced it.

(photo from Pintrest)

1947 – A Mountain Road.

Much of Eastern Kentucky is in the Appalachian Mountains. This is coal country, with winding roads going up and down the mountains.

1960 – Another mountain overlook.

The mountains make numerous appearances on the cover of the map. Left to right – 1997 – 1986 – 2015.

Today the vast majority of the roads are still twisty two lane routes.

Appalachia has had tough times for decades now, with most of the population long ago heading north for jobs in factories. Today few coal mines still exist, most have closed leaving relics behind.

Kentucky is horse country. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 jobs in Kentucky depend on horses. It is the number 1 producer of thoroughbreds in the nation.

This fact is celebrated on numerous map covers including this 1945 map.

Horse Farms were also featured in 1968, 1988, 1989 and 2007.

In 2019 we had the opportunity to visit Claiborne Farms near Paris, Kentucky. The horses are beautiful, and the grounds immaculate.

Bridges

This 1949 map features Eggner’s Ferry Bridge. This bridge was completed in 1932, and decommissioned in 2016. A new 4 lane bride has replaced it.

With the Ohio River bordering the entire northern side of Kentucky there are a number of impressive bridges linking the state to it’s neighbors.

The new cable stayed bridge at Owensboro was featured in 2003.

Louisville – Second Street Bridge, also known as the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge.

Covington (to Cincinnati) – Roebling Bridge.

Maysville. Simon Kenton Bridge – Completed in 1931.

1955 – Kentucky Colonel.

More than just chicken, a Kentucky Colonel is an actual title of honor that the governor of the state can issue to individuals.

Prior to the 1930s very few people were made Kentucky Colonels, but the governor of the time greatly accelerated the number including one Harland Sanders – hence the name of the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

To this day if you find yourself in Corbin, Kentucky you can stop by the original Sanders Cafe for some fried chicken. (photo from tripadvisor.com)

For the mid 1960s Kentucky still showed their southern side with a lawn jockey and a plantation house being featured.

1966 – Daniel Boone. Boone was born in Pennsylvania and spent a great deal of time in Virginia before arriving in Kentucky. It was here his actions became lore.

The 1970s featured the Kentucky Parkways. The state was ahead of their times in building additional freeways to augment the interstates that were in the state. They did this in the form of toll roads.

Despite the names the Parkways do not prohibit truck traffic.

Horse Race Trumpeter – 1973, 1974 & 1975

In the days before electronic amplification they had to have a way to notify the jockeys it was time to come to the starting gate, hence the trumpeter. The song they play is called ‘First Call’, a military march.

Santa Anita Trumpeter

Churchill Downs Trumpeter

1979 – Man o War

When people make a list of the greatest race horses of all time there are really only two, Secretariat and Man o War. Secretariat is Man o War’s grandson.

How good was Secretariat. He still holds records 40 years later. The photo below from the legendary Belmont that he won by 31 lengths!

Man o War was just as impressive. In 1920 he was co-athlete of the year with Babe Ruth

Man o War has a statue at the Kentucky Horse Park

Seretariat’s statue is at Keeneland.

Both are representative of the best of Kentucky Horse Racing. Along with the great thoroughbreds are great tracks.

The two best are Churchill Downs in Louisville and Keeneland in Lexington.

Keeneland

1982, 1983 and 1983 – State Parks. While they look very similar there are slight variations to the covers.

2013 and 2017 returned to the parks.

Kentucky has a number of nice state parks with lodges. This is Cumberland Falls Park Lodge.

1992 – Kentucky Bicentennial

1998 – Cumberland Gap & Tunnel

The Cumberland Gap is a pass in the Appalachian Mountains, at the point where Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee come together.

It was the first primary route over the mountains for the early settlers. For millenia bison had used the pass to make their way back and forth for feeding. The folklore of Daniel Boone was enhanced by his effort to blaze a trail through the mountains.

Today a twin tube tunnel makes the pass much easier to traverse. Each tunnel is 4600′ long.

The Cumberland Gap National Park has some very scenic overlooks.

2000 – Scenic Byways

There are 10 Scenic Byways in Kentucky. These byways take you to the less traveled parts of the state for some unique sights like…

Nada Tunnel. That small hole in the bottom of the hill is indeed a tunnel for auto traffic.

2004 – Paris Pike. This stretch of highway was a very dangerous 2 lane road. When the decision was made to expand to 4 lanes the Department of Transportation worked with many to come up with an aesthetically pleasing but functional road.

The road leads from Lexington to Paris. The town of Paris is the center of the thoroughbred farms. It is a very picturesque town, complete with a mini Eiffel Tower.

2005 – State Capitol

The State Capitol is in the small town of Frankfort. The current Capitol was completed in 1909.

The grounds are very well groomed and include a floral clock.

The former capitol is down in the middle of town.

Just outside of town are some bourbon distilleries that were built more than 100 years ago, shuttered, and recently re-opened. It makes for a very cool environment.

Nearby is the city of Lexington, home of the University of Kentucky.

The city is home to a vast array of murals, some of the best we have seen.

2006 – Cumberland Falls

2008 – Lincoln in Kentucky

2009 & 2010 – Equestrian Games

2011 – Corvette Museum

The Corvette Museum is in Bowling Green.

2014 – Old Friends Retirement Home. While some race horses live a pampered life being set out to stud, many do not. In 2003 Boston Globe movie critic Michael Blowen lead an effort to open this farm for retired race horses.

2016 – Mammoth Caves

The longest cave system in the country, Mammoth Cave has more than 400 miles of surveyed passageways. Photo from tourist website as I am terrible with cave photography.

2018 – Culinary Trail. The most famous culinary trail in Kentucky is the Bourbon Trail.

While we didn’t do the entire trail we did tour the Jim Beam Distillery.

This storage facility burnt in a fire in 2019.

Virtual Travel – Iowa

Architecture, Art, Festival, History, Museum, Nature, Sports, Transportation, Water Features

In previously postings I have shown examples of the tremendous population growth many of the states have experienced over the last 50-60 years. Iowa is the opposite of that. In the mid 1950s there were 2.7 million people in the state, up only 500,000 from 1900. In the next 70 years the population has only grown another 500,000 people.

It is the heart of the cornbelt, as exhibited in this graphically impressive 1954 map.

This scene could be from 1900, 1955 or 2020.

1957 – The graphics are still impressive with this view of factory and a highway.

Des Moines 1957

2020 streetview of the same intersection. Despite minimal population growth the city has changed dramatically.

1970 – Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. It was built and dedicated in 1962, not long before Hoover died in 1964.

1974 – Herbert Hoover’s 100th birthday.

Herbert Hoover is the only U.S. President that was born in Iowa. Hoover however is often ranked among the worst presidents in history, although everyone is up one now.

Hoover was born in the town of West Branch, Iowa in this small house. (photo from Wikipedia)

1971 – A collage of scenes around the state. The scene in the lower left is the Pella Tulip Festival.

The Pella Tulip Festival has taken place every year since 1935. Today the town plants 200,000 tulips in celebration.

1972 – Seasons in Iowa.

1973 – Joliet and Marquette. The early explorers in Iowa (and elsewhere).

1975 – State Symbols

1976, 1979 & 1983 – Generic (read – boring) covers

1986 – Another collage including riverboats.

The eastern border of Iowa is the Mississippi River. There are a number of towns and cities along the river that have transitioned from commerce to tourism.

There are also riverboat casinos in Dubuque, Bettendorf and Clinton. (Photo from Travel Iowa).

1988 – Another collage but in the form of a quilt.

Des Moines each year holds ‘Quilt Week’. (Photo from Pintrest)

1991 – The collages continue.

Among the photos this year is the Iowa State Capitol. Built between 1871 and 1886, the building is the only 5 domed capitol in America. (Photo from All American Scaffolding website)

1994 – Snake Alley in Burlington.

Iowa is well known for being mostly flat landscape. Along the Mississippi River however there are some bluffs, including the one in Burlington.

In 1894 they built a street up this bluff with multiple curves, giving it the name of ‘Snake Alley’ It rises 58′ (17.8m) in a distance of 275 feet for a 21% grade.

For perspective here is Canton Avenue in Pittsburgh, claimed to be one of the steepest streets in the world – rising at 37%. To Pittsburghers 21% is considered a level yard.

1995 – Pikes Peak State Park. What, I thought Pikes Peak was in Colorado?

While it does have a panoramic view, I think they are over advertising using that name.

1996 & 1998 – The collage returns, this time with a butterfly each time.

In 2015 there was a push for the Regal Fritillary (this butterfly) to become the official state butterfly, but nothing came of it. These maps pre-date that effort by nearly 10 years!

1999 – 100th Anniversary of the first man carrying glider in Iowa

As the map states in 1898 14 year old Carl Gates flew in this glider, pulled along by a horse. He later went on to attend the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago, later building small airplanes.

The reverse side of the map has a tribute to transportation in Iowa over the years. From canoes to steamships to trains, Iowa has seen it all pass by.

The Lincoln Highway was one of the first transcontinental roads, passing through Iowa on it’s way from New York to San Francisco. There is a very famous bridge in Iowa that celebrates this road. (Photo from Iowa Girl on the Go blog)

2001 – Collage again, including a covered bridge. Those that read this blog know I rarely offer negative commentary but once on a flight from Atlanta to LAX I attempted to watch Bridges of Madison County. This movie was set, and filmed in Iowa in 1995, and the bridge featured on this map.

To me that movie was so bad I wanted to jump out of the plane somewhere over Iowa, but to each their own.

2002 – Collage (again) with crossings.

In an attempt to find this rail trestle above I came across the High Trestle Trail. This rails to trails opened in 2011, crossing it’s namesake span over the Des Moines River.

I have only been to Iowa twice, and then very briefly, but this looks worth the trip (Photo from Wikipedia)

2003 – Again the Bridges of Madison County bridge!

2004 – Collage including a Railroad Museum.

Among the railroad museums in Iowa is the Union Pacific Railroad Museum. Located in Council Bluffs, it details the history of this railroad. Located in a former library, the museum at times sponsors rides on this great train below to raise funds. (Photo Omaha newspaper)

2005 – Collage including the Black Hawk Bridge spanning the Mississippi between Iowa and Wisconsin.

An unusual cantilever through truss design, it was completed in 1931. There are plans to replace this bridge in the next 10 years or so. Personally I love these old bridges with their Erector Set gone wild look.

2008 – Collage including downhill skiing in Iowa.

The Mount Crescent Ski Resort in Honey Lake, Iowa has a vertical drop of 250′! (Photo from Onthesnow.com)

2009 – Collage including ‘Barn Quilts’. These decorations grace barns throughout the state.

Sac County has enough of these Barn Quilts they have a tour. The tour can be found at

Barnquilts.com – where this photo came from.

2010 – The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge is a 3000′ long walkway across the Missouri River between downtown Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa.

2011& 2013 – Additional visits to the Capitol.

2012 – Small Town Iowa.

2014 – Great River Bridge at Burlington. As with many modern bridges this is cable stayed, however uniquely it is uneven – there are 13 pairs on one side and 14 on the other side.

2015 – One last collage including hot air balloons.

Each year the National Balloon Classic comes to Des Moines. For 9 days over 100 hot air balloons fill the skies over the city and surrounding countryside. (Photo from Radioiowa.com)

Hawaii – November 2018 – Day 19 Kauai and the Grand Canyon of Hawaii

History, Nature, Transportation

We flew from Maui through Honolulu to Kauai on a Tuesday evening. Using google maps we made our way to our hotel, which took us past the shipping docks to who knows where.

The following morning we were up and on our way before sunrise. After about an hour and a half, and a quick breakfast in Waimea, we made our way up to Waimea Canyon.

We were greeted by the official bird of Hawaii – the rooster.

We made our way through the park until we reached the famed Kalalau Overlook. If it looks familiar, it should, it was used in Jurassic Park.

We are about 4000′ above the ocean at this point.

Look closely you will see the helicopter well below in the valley.

The other highlight of the area is Waimea Canyon.

Waipo’o Falls cascades into the canyon.

From a distance you can see why it has the nickname Grand Canyon of Hawaii.

It is immense, especially given how small the island is overall. This area of Kauai is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and well worth the trip.

We made our way back down to the coast, and found this dirt road that continued in the direction of the bluffs we had just been on.

Eventually we reached the end of the road and found this amazing secluded beach with a view of Ni’Hau.

The waves, while not as impressive as what was in Maui, still made a great ‘Hawaii Five O’ look.

But it was the view of the cliffs that made the dusty ride worthwhile.

On our return trip to Lihue we stopped by the site of a Russian Fort, which was near the town of Waimea. Just down the hill from this fort a river ran into the ocean making some great sand dunes.

Further along the coast we found Salt Pond Park and Beach. Nearby pools produce the famed Hawaiian sea salt, but the beach was more picturesque.

Our final stop of the day was at Kauai Coffee. Very touristy, but amusing.

They claim to have 4 million coffee trees, and near the visitor center you can take a walk amongst them.

They also had some displays on how the beans are dried. These are for show, as this is a large commercial processing facility (that does not offer real tours of the plant).

Remember that drive in the dark – it was much better in the sun!

An amazing view at the Menehune Fishpond, literally a mile from our little hotel. The moral of this view is don’t always trust first impressions, the hotel and the views were spectacular – you just have to go through the cargo shipping area when you come from the airport.

Kendallville, Indiana – September 2018 – Windmill Museum

Architecture, Art, History, Nature, Sciences, Transportation

The Mid America Windmilll Museum located in Kendallville has about 50 water windmills from the last 100 years. These windmills were key to the development of farming in the midwest.

The museum has a barn with some of the windmill wheels showing how they function. The museum was originally built to showcase a local windmill manufacturer, but now has models from several different companies.

While most are the tall thin metal type, they do have one example of an English post mill.

The blades, or sails, have a variety of shapes.

The tails help stabilize and turn the windmill into the wind at the most optimum angle.

The tails also serve as advertising for the manufacturer.

Each manufacturer had a variety of shapes and sizes of tails and blades.

Some painted colorfully.

More symmetry – this time from the windmill blades.

The water windmill allowed farms with no electrical power to be able to pump water in the vast remote regions of the midwest.

The gears in the wheel assembly would turn the hub attached to the long pump rod inside of the pipe in the well.

This up and down motion pulls the water up.

These simple, elegant machines were the lifeline of the country.

A close up of the wheel mechanisms.

A wheel made to look like a Native American head dress.

An overview of the collection. Note the different manufacturers on the tails.

The museum also featured a small covered bridge.

The post mill stands out in the crowd.

Ironically the fountain in the water uses a modern electric pump, not the windmills. And the outhouse is just for decoration.

One final look at the collection of windmills at the Mid American Windmill Museum in Kendallville, Indiana.

Delaware, OH – July 2018 – Fun with Funghi

Architecture, History, Nature, Transportation

Our hot weekend continued with a visit to a local Metro Park – Gallant Woods – that was holding a ‘Mushroom Hike’. Lead by Kari, one of the Education leaders from the park service, we wandered through the woods for an hour while she and others spotted various types of mushrooms.

Our group was small, with Kari and another family who was into foraging for mushrooms, making it very educational.

Most of the mushrooms were quite small, but still very interesting.

We found interesting growth on trees.

A red one on a small twig.

Mushy ones on another dead tree.

It was fascinating how when you start looking closely how many different types there are. Much time was spent explaining how difficult it is to see the difference between poisonous ones and those that are edible.

Kari would often pick them to give us a closer look.

When you looked closely the details are amazing.

One large tree had them growing all the way up the 50′ tall tree.

While you are supposed to leave the mushrooms where they grow for others to enjoy, we were permitted to keep some since Kari picked them as part of our tour.

Across the road is the original homestead complete with a restored 1930s farm house.

The entire county parks system is featuring flight this year so one of the barns had a great exhibit with model planes.

The exhibit’s planes were very impressive.

We thoroughly enjoyed our hike with Kari, and the time spent with the other staff and volunteers afterwards in the farm house. The staff was even kind enough to share some mushroom quiche they had been preparing in the 1930s stove.

Amish Country, OH – June 2018 – A variety of scenes

Architecture, Festival, Nature, Transportation

Sugarcreek is the center of Amish Country in Ohio, and with our trip to see the Age of Steam Roundhouse (other posting) we passed a strange mix of sights, including the photo above with an Amish buggy in front of what they claim is the world’s largest cuckoo clock.

On the way we passed the numerous farms in the area.

The large corn crib nearly full provided an interesting shot.

When we arrived in town we found that many of the buildings had murals on the front depicting Switzerland, as the town was founded by the Swiss and they continue to play up this fact for tourists.

Including the fire station.

Only to find …. a car show!

With some strange rides

And some nice ones.

Lake Country, BC – September 2017 – Kangaroos in Canada

Nature

In the town of Lake Country, British Columbia there is a Kangaroo Farm. The people there seem very caring about the Kangaroos, and are welcoming. They have an area where you can hold baby kangaroos (they take them from the mothers early as the environment with so many mothers in a small space causes issues).

The rest are roaming around, and you are free to interact and feed them.

In addition to the Kangaroos they have other animals including goats.

Birds

Small horses

The World’s Largest Rodent – Capybara (they were very friendly)

But mostly – Kangaroos

Kirtland, OH – February 2017 – A Morning on the Farm for Quilt Competition

Art, Nature

With a day planned in the Cleveland area for a variety of events, we stopped by the Lake County Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland, a working demonstration farm.

While we were there for a quilt competition, our first stop was the barn where the newborn animals were at. Among those there were 2 day old pigs and a week old sheep.

The visitor center was holding the quilt competition. While I always think of quilts as a country item, there were a number of non traditional looking designs.

Also nearby was a classic old bridge across the Chagrin River.

Southern Ohio – October 2015 – Historic Iron Furnaces & Down on the Farm

Festival, History

Buckeye Furnace is a reconstructed charcoal-fired blast furnace, one of many that once operated in southeastern Ohio’s Hanging Rock Iron Region. Originally built in 1852, it stopped being used in 1894, but has been reconstructed as close to originall as possible. In addition to the furnace there are other reconstructed buildings, a museum and nature trails.

Buckeye Furnace is located in small, sparsely populated Vinton County, in far southern Ohio. The drive down took us on miles of nice twisty two lane roads with little traffic, initially in the Hocking Hills.

After spending an hour or so exploring the area we moved on to our second event of the day, Bob Evans Farm Festival. For those not from Ohio, Bob Evans produced breakfast sausages in the 1960s before opening a chain of restaurants in the 1970s and 1980s, whose motto is ‘Down on the Farm’. While he passed away years ago the namesake farm still exists near Gallipolis, Ohio.

One day each year they have a festival with crafts and music. Thinking we would show up and check out the sights we were stunned when we got within a mile and found stopped traffic, before being routed into a giant field full of cars, and a long line to get into the festival.

The festival’s music was sketchy at best, although we did eventually find one stage that had some decent bluegrass bands. The crafts were typical country crafts, which was to be expected, and the food booths had lines with about 100 people in them. All in all a bust, so we left and on the way home stopped at a Bob’s in Circleville.

Not one of our better days.